Colored Flowering Trees Indigenous to Florida

Pink to Purple

• If pink or purple is your color of choice to decorate your landscape, you have a couple options. Several magnolias (Magnolia spp.) offer pinkish, showy flowers; some magnolias are fragrant. Most magnolias are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. Southern crabapple (Malus angustifolia) grows in USDA zones 5 through 8 and offers an explosion of pink buds that open into white flowers tinged with pink. Although the common name "redbud" leads you to believe the flowers are red, the eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) has purplish flowers that start out as deeper-colored buds. Redbuds produce flowers that form in small clusters up and down the branches before the trees leaf out. Eastern redbud grows in USDA zones 4 through 9.

Orange

• Orange isn't typically a color thought of in reference to flowering trees, but with the orange geiger tree (Cordia sebestena) produces clusters of frilly orange blooms all year, although the display is best during June and July. Orange geiger tree grows in USDA zones 10 through 11. The flowers of firebush (Hamelia patens) are orange and red; their tubular shape is a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies. Firebush grows in USDA zones 9 through 11.

Red

• Looking for a splash of red? While it's not a dominant color of flowers on native Florida trees, a few still boast bold, red flowers that will make a statement in either your backyard or the natural landscape. Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia), which grows in USDA zones 4 through 8, is a small tree or large shrub. A hummingbird favorite, this tree produces orange-red to red tubular flowers in spring. Red maple (Acer rubrum) grows in USDA zones 3 through 9 and while it doesn't have large flowers, it does produce tight clusters of small red flowers.

Yellow or Green

• The tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipfera) can grow to well over 80 feet tall and produces tulip-shaped, yellowish-green and orange flowers during late spring. Sweet acacia (Acacia farnesiana) is a large shrub or small, shrublike tree growing to 25 feet tall. Small yellow flowers adorn the thorny branches throughout the year but are particularly conspicuous in spring. Acacia grows in USDA zones 9 through 11.